SOCIAL
AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS
The
Readykit system is also easily adaptable for self-help
housing projects. We erect the house onto a properly prepared
raft foundation and roof it within two or at the most
three days.
To
finish it, the owner merely needs to apply the lime/cement
plaster to the panels, paint, glaze, and the house is
then ready for the doors to be hung , plumbing fittings
installed, and electric loom for a formal reticulation
to the plug and switch boxes already in place.
The
owner benefits from
A
bigger house for the money
A house
that reflects the owner's needs in size and shape in relation
to the site
A house
that will not "sweat" regardless of climate
and nature of use
Excellent
temperature insulation that promotes good health
An ideal
unit from which to start a business
Pride
in the skills acquired during the building process which
reflects in better finishes and colours that reflect the
owner’s tastes
The economic benefit is a sharp growth in home industry
and lessened dependence upon jobs. As the concept spreads,
so does productivity increase which helps support the
value of the currency, reduce inflation, spread the training
of building skills and the institutions that provide it,
promote home ownership, and reduce crime. One of the hidden
scourges that hit our economic productivity is sickness.
Overcrowded
tiny units that are built of single skin block are very
difficult to insulate, and are inclined to sweat. In such
conditions diseases such as TB thrive. The Western Cape
of South Africa suffers heavy winter rainfall and now
has the highest incidence of TB in the world. And we wonder
why.
When
the owner is directly involved in completing the house,
there is a sense of self-worth, and pride in something
important of value that he or she have created. Without
this approach the big social danger is the growth of slums
and all the social evils that go with them.
